Brake for railway-cars



v(No Model.)

' AfF. LET-SON.

BRAKE FOR RAILWAY GARS.

No. 531,319. Patented 11110.25, 1894.

Fig.2

y I i Inventor.

me Nmws Pzrns co., PHoT-umu. WASHINGTON. n, cA

PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS F. LETSON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

BRAKE FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters PatentNo. 531,319, dated December25, 1894. Application filed August 9, 1394. Serial No. 519.843. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

13e it known that I, AUGUSTUS F. LE'ISON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-CarBrakes, of

l which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and improved railroad car brake, in whichthe brake shoes operate upon the track instead of the wheels, so as toavoid the ltendency of the wheels to slide upon the track, and cause thewearing of flat places in the periphery or tread, thereby rendering theWheel unfit for use until removed and turned up in the lathe. f

My invention also relates to certain details of construction by which itis rendered more simple and effective, all of which will be fully andclearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which-e Y Figure 1, is a top orplan view of arailway truck, showing my invention connected thereto. Fig. 2, is a sidesectional elevation in or about line aa, Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is afrontelevation of a detached portion of the mechanism for keeping the brakeshoes from moving laterally. Fig. 4, represents a cross section througha brake shoe, showing a slight modication in its form, all parts beyondthe section being omitted.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 represents the outsidelongitudinal side frame pieces of the truck, 2 the inner side framepieces, and 3 the end cross frame-pieces. The central cross beam 4, isprovided with the usual center socket -rest 5, all parts of this framebeing constructed in the usual and well known way.

The car wheels 6, are-all mounted in the usual boxes. The axle 7, theintermediate longitudinal frame bars2 and the portions 2a, that straddlethe axle are also of the ordinary construction.

The numeral 8, (see Fig. 2) represents the yoke that supports the lowercross beam 9, in place, and 10, represents the elliptic springs that areinterposed between the cross beams 4 and 9. y

The brake shoes ll and 11a, are rigidly secured to a cross beam'12,shown in Fig. 2, and

` each shoe is suspended by the rods 13, 13a

and links 14 and 15, so that the shoes, (and the cross beam to whichthey are connected) can be moved up or down without getting out ofplace. To keep them from moving laterally to vone side or the other, anupward, projecting piece 16, is rigidly secured by bolts 1'7, tothecross "beam 12, and to the under side of the beam 9, is secured by bolts18, two 6c downward projecting portions 19, and 19%, see Fig. 3, betweenwhich the portion 16, moves u'p or down but not laterally. Il. de-

sired the brake shoes may be provided with a downward side flange 20.See Fig. 4. Ay 65 crank shaft 2l, is mounted in boxeson the under sideof the longitudinal beams 2, and

is provided with a crank arm 22, rigidly secured at each end of saidshaft. At each side of the center or near each end of the hold- 7o ingpiece 23, shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and between each of theforked holding portions is pivoted by pins 24, (one of which is alsoshown by dottedlines in said Fig. 2) an arm 25, having one end pivotedby a pin 26, to a connecting arm 27, having its opposite end or upperend, pivoted by a pin 28, to a fixed or stationary support 29. Theopposite ends of the arms 25, are pivoted to thellower ends of theconnecting rods 30, having their upper 8o ends pivoted to tho crank arms22.

A double brake operating. arm 3l and 31, is mounted on the crank shaft21, to which it is rigidly secured. This arm is held in a substantiallyvertical position (as shown by the 8 5 dotted lines 31", Fig. 2) by aspiral spring 33, shown in Fig. 1, the spring being fitted on the shaft21, in the usual way for such purposes. To the portion 31, of the arm ispivoted a connecting rod 34. The end of this 9o rod is adapted toconnect with an air brake of any well known construction. l At theopposite end or upper portion 31, of the arm is pivoted anotherconnecting rod 35. This rod 35, is adapted to be connected with any well9 5 known brake operating apparatus designed to operate the brake byhand. The object of this construction is to provide a suitable meanswhereby the brake can. be operated either by hand or by the air brakeapparatus. roc

To prevent the moving of the air brakerod 34, while operating the handbrake mechanism I introduce a few links of chain 36-36", into bothconnecting rods, so that when operating one of the brake rods, the brakerod 34, for instance, which in setting the brakes is moved in thedirection of the arrow V, this will cause the lower arm 3la to move inthe opposite direction, and cause a slack in the chain 36, withoutmoving the rod 35, and vice versa.

The operation of the invention will bc clearly understood from theforegoing description and drawings. By drawing the brake rod 35, in thedirection of the arrow W', the arm .3l-31, is turned from the positionshown by the dotted lines 31e, to the position shown at 3l and 31. Thisoperation causes the crank arms 22, to turn downward and force the arms30 down with them, thereby lowering:r the brake shoes and forcing,` themtothe track, and in a case of great emergency a Whole train may bealmost supported on the brake shoes, thereby stopping it in the shortestpossible time.

I claim as my inventionl. In a rail road car brake, the combination withthe truck of a pair of brake shoes, rigidly connected to a cross bar andsuspended by upward yielding supports connected with theA truck frame,rock arms, pivoted centrally to the cross bar, and each having one endpivoted to suspended arms having their upper ends pivoted to stationarysupports, pivoted arms at the opposite ends of the rock arms having aconnection with a crank shaft and means substantially as above describedfor setting or operating the brake shoes.

2. In a railroad car brake, the combination with a railway truck of apair of brake shoes, secured to a cross-bar and suspended by upwardyielding links to the truck frame, rock arms pivoted to the cross-bareach having one of their ends pivoted to a horizontally movable supportand their opposite ends pivoted to arms connected to crank arms, aspring;r for holding the brake shoes up from the rails and meansconnected with a double arm mounted on a crank shaft for operating thebrake from both ends of the car, substantially as described.

AUGUSTUS F. LETSON.

Witnesses:

H ARRIET JOHNSON, J AMES SANGSTER.

